Therapeutic mode preferences and associated factors among Norwegian undergraduate occupational therapy students: A cross-sectional exploratory study

Background: The Intentional Relationship Model is specifically focused on the relational aspect of therapy. The model describes six therapeutic modes; these represent different types of interaction for the therapist. However, preferences for therapeutic mode use are under researched. Aims: This study aims to describe preferences for therapeutic modes in undergraduate occupational therapy students, as well as to explore factors associated to each of the therapeutic modes. Methods: A sample of 96 occupational therapy students, based at two different Norwegian universities, participated in the study. They completed the Norwegian Self-Assessment of Modes Questionnaire along with sociodemographic information. Descriptive analysis, bivariate correlation and linear regression analysis were employed. Results: The problem-solving mode was most frequently endorsed. There were generally weak associations between the variables, but female sex and being a student in the education program in Trondheim were associated with higher preference for collaboration. Conclusion: There is diversity in students’ preferences for the modes, but the problem-solving mode was the most preferred. Students need to be aware of the mode they feel more comfortable with and make sure they use modes that fit with the specific client. Significance: The occupational therapy education programs need to incorporate raising awareness about therapeutic modes

Self-Reported Long COVID in the General Population: Sociodemographic and Health Correlates in a Cross-National Sample.

We aimed to gain knowledge of possible sociodemographic predictors of long COVID and whether long COVID was associated with health outcomes almost two years after the pandemic outbreak. There were 1649 adults who participated in the study by completing a cross-sectional online survey disseminated openly in Norway, the UK, the USA, and Australia between November 2021 and January 2022. Participants were defined as having long COVID based on self-reports that they had been infected by COVID-19 and were experiencing long-lasting COVID symptoms. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine possible sociodemographic predictors, and multivariate analysis of variance was used to examine whether long COVID status was associated with health outcomes. None of the sociodemographic variables was significantly associated with reporting long COVID. Having long COVID was associated with higher levels of psychological distress, fatigue, and perceived stress. The effect of long COVID on health outcomes was greater among men than among women. In conclusion, long COVID appeared across sociodemographic groups. People with long COVID reported worsened health outcomes compared to those who had had COVID-19 but without long-term symptoms. Men experiencing long COVID appear to be particularly vulnerable to experiencing poorer health outcomes; health services may pay extra attention to potentially unnoticed needs for support among men experiencing long COVID

Psychometric properties of an instrument derived from the Intentional Relationship Model: The self-efficacy for recognizing clients’ interpersonal characteristics

Background: The Intentional Relationship Model conceptualizes the therapeutic use of self within occupational therapy. To increase motivation for and success in establishing therapeutic relationships, therapists need self-efficacy for using the self in therapeutic practice. However, attempts to combine this model with self-efficacy theory are rare, and instruments by which to measure self-efficacy for therapeutic use of self are in a developing stage. Aim: This study aimed to examine the factor structure and internal consistency of the Norwegian Self-efficacy for recognizing interpersonal characteristics (N-SERIC). Methods: Occupational therapy students (n = 100) from two education programs completed the instrument along with sociodemographic information. The factor structure was examined with Principal Components Analysis (PCA), and internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach’s α and inter-item correlations. Results: The PCA revealed that all N-SERIC items belonged to the same latent factor, with factor loadings ranging between 0.75 and 0.89. The internal consistency of the scale items was very high (Cronbach’s α = 0.96). Conclusions: The N-SERIC scale is unidimensional and the items have very high internal consistency. Thus, the scale sum score can be useful for occupational therapy research and audits focusing on interpersonal aspects of practice

Mental health, quality of life, wellbeing, loneliness and use of social media in a time of social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak. A cross-country comparative study

Background The COVID-19 outbreak raised questions about how people experience their mental health, quality of life (QoL), wellbeing and loneliness in the context of social distancing, and the use of social media during this time Aims To examine the experience of mental health, QoL, wellbeing and loneliness and use of social media among people living in Norway, USA, UK and Australia. Methods A cross-country comparative survey of people living in Norway, USA, UK and Australia. Relevant statistical analyses were used to examine differences between the countries and to explore associations between demographic, mental health and psychosocial variables and use of social media. Results There were 3810 respondents from four countries, of which 50 − 74% showed a high level of emotional distress. The Norwegian population reported significantly better mental health, QoL and wellbeing and lower levels of loneliness compared to the other countries. High-frequent use of social media after the COVID-19 outbreak was associated with poorer mental- and psychosocial health. Conclusions The results suggest that the COVID-19 outbreak took a toll on people’s experience of mental health, QoL, wellbeing and experienced loneliness, and high-frequent use of social media was associated with these factors

Personal factors associated with health-related quality of life in persons with morbid obesity on treatment waiting lists in Norway

Purpose To explore relationships of socio-demographic variables, health behaviours, environmental characteristics and personal factors, with physical and mental health variables in persons with morbid obesity, and to compare their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores with scores from the general population. Methods A cross-sectional correlation study design was used. Data were collected by self-reported questionnaire from adult patients within the first 2 days of commencement of a mandatory educational course. Of 185 course attendees, 142 (76.8%) volunteered to participate in the study. Valid responses on all items were recorded for 128 participants. HRQoL was measured with the Short Form 12v2 from which physical (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores were computed. Other standardized instruments measured regular physical activity, social support, self-esteem, sense of coherence, self-efficacy and coping style. Results Respondents scored lower on all the HRQoL subdomains compared with norms. Linear regression analyses showed that personal factors that included self-esteem, self-efficacy, sense of coherence and coping style explained 3.6% of the variance in PCS scores and 41.6% in MCS scores. Conclusion Personal factors such as self-esteem, sense of coherence and a high approaching coping style are strongly related to mental health in obese persons

Improvement in quality of life following a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program for patients with Parkinson’s disease

Victoria C Ritter,1 Tore Bonsaksen1,21Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Occupational Therapy, Prosthetics and Orthotics, OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway; 2Faculty of Health Studies, VID Specialized University, Sandnes, NorwayBackground: Parkinson’s disease follows a chronic course, and therefore quality of life is important to assess in relation to rehabilitation programs for persons with the disease.Aim: To examine whether a brief rehabilitation program can promote positive changes in functional status, general self-efficacy, and quality of life and to examine factors associated with changes in quality of life.Methods: Patients with Parkinson’s disease (n=83) completed the General Self-Efficacy Scale and the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire at the beginning of a rehabilitation program and at three weeks follow-up. Within-person changes were analyzed with paired t-tests. A hierarchical linear regression was conducted to assess the independent associations between the independent variables and changes in quality of life during the three weeks program, while adjusting for the covariance between the independent variables.Results: Patients reported higher functional status (d=0.37, p<0.001), general self-efficacy (d =0.28, p<0.01), and quality of life (d=0.32, p<0.001) at three weeks follow-up, compared to their baseline scores. The regression analysis showed that having a better initial functional status (β =−0.26, p<0.05) and lower quality of life (β =0.51, p<0.001) were associated with more improvements in quality of life.Conclusion: The study suggests that actual functioning in persons with Parkinson’s disease is a better predictor of improved quality of life than self-efficacy beliefs and that those who have lower levels of initial quality of life benefit more from rehabilitation.Keywords: functional status Parkinson’s disease, multidisciplinary rehabilitation program, self-efficacy, quality of lif

Trajectories of physical and mental health among persons with morbid obesity and persons with COPD: a longitudinal comparative study

Tore Bonsaksen,1 May Solveig Fagermoen,2 Anners Lerdal2,3 1Department of Occupational Therapy, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, 2Department of Nursing Science, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 3Department for Patient Safety and Development, Lovisenberg Diakonale Hospital, Oslo, NorwayBackground: Morbid obesity and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are prevalent diseases associated with impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Research generally indicates that persons with morbid obesity increase their HRQoL following intervention, whereas evidence of increases in HRQoL in persons with COPD is mixed. Examining the patterns of change over time instead of merely examining whether HRQoL changes will add to the knowledge in this field.Methods: A sample of persons with morbid obesity and persons with COPD was recruited from learning and mastery courses and rehabilitation centers in Norway. The data were collected by self-report questionnaires at the start of patient education and at four subsequent time points during the 1-year follow-up. HRQoL was measured with the Short Form 12, version 2, and repeated measures analysis of variance was employed in the statistical analysis.Results: Participants with morbid obesity linearly increased their physical HRQoL during the 1-year follow-up, whereas participants with COPD showed no change. None of the groups changed their mental HRQoL during follow-up. In all subdomains of HRQoL, the participants with morbid obesity showed favorable, linearly increasing trajectories across the follow-up period. Among the participants with COPD, no change patterns occurred in the subdomains of HRQoL, except for a fluctuating pattern in the mental health domain. Age, sex, and work status did not influence the trajectories of HRQoL in any of the domains.Conclusion: A more favorable trajectory of HRQoL was found for persons with morbid obesity than for persons with COPD, possibly due to the obese persons' better chances of recovery.Keywords: health-related quality of life, longitudinal study, SF 12, change patterns, patient education cours